Trial By Fire
by A.N. Harris
Summary: A monster. A traitor. A man who should have told someone. And a man who simply knew too much. If they don't work together, a world war is ready to descend upon the unknowning innocents. A war where all life will be taken in all shapes and forms...
1. Prologue

It was a dreary day. Lupin hated it. Sirius was dead. The Battle of the Department of Mysteries was over, and Sirius was dead. A chill came down his spine.

What had happened was over now. Grimmauld Place was empty of all happiness. The day was ending. Harry was safe though.

A small barn owl came through the window, a letter clamped in its beak. Lupin took the letter, opened it, and read the note.

_In this desperate hour, my dear Order of the Phoenix, I need you most. The Wizarding World is in peril. Sirius Black is dead. His pact is uncomplete. The war is begun. _


	2. A Clash of Angels

"Check." Sirius muttered, as he checked his list again. Tomorrow he could escape this place, everything would be fine again. He would be at peace, away from his wretched mother, father, and dreadful brother.

"Sirius?" his mother's rang up the stairs. "Lunch!"

Mother never thought of him as the eleven year old he was, she treated him as if he were a dog, helpless and alone. He could take care of himself.

"Coming, mum." he called.

He stood up, putting his stuff on his bed, and left the room, descended the stairs into the basement, where the kitchen was. He sat at the table. His brother sat across from him, jeering dirty looks at him.

"Scared about school?" he jeered.

"Nope." Sirius muttered with a certain disdain.

Sirius climbed into bed that night without a care or worry. He lay in his underclothing, dreaming awake, about the letter that came. A letter from Hogwarts.

He drifted off to sleep, and his thoughts strayed. He began to dream.

It was a world up in the clouds. Two angels stood looking at him, fields of cloud behind them. One had the sweet, smooth face of an angel's that's face had been formed by the Lord Almighty himself, and clothed in white robes. Its gender was a female, and resembled Amy. The other was horribly ugly, but had smooth skin, no blemishes, no impurities, just darkness. He was clothed in black robes.

"Who are you?" Sirius inquired.

"We are angels." The white one said. "An angel of light, and an angel of dark."

"And what do you want?" Sirius asked.

"We want you Sirius, because you are the one we need. Your fate will make the history of the wizard world." The white angel stated.

"How so?"

"Come with me." The white angel said again.

"What will you show me?" Sirius asked, as the angel crept toward him and took his hand. "I will show you how important you are."

"What will I do in my life that will help all humankind?"

White light, ever shining, always blinding surrounded them, Sirius covered his eyes from the light.

"Where are we?" he asked quietly.

"In your deepest dreams. Where battles rage and no one ever dies, but that is not real. This part of your dreams will affect the real world. What I will show you is something you must figure it out for yourself. Your destiny is about to be revealed. Prepare yourself, Sirius Black."

The white angel finished, sending a cooling shiver down his back.

"What is about to happen?" Sirius asked, worried about - death. "Will I die?"

"No, my young child. It will change you. You need this. Or else the Wizard World will collapse."

"But why now - I'm only sixteen?"

"You need to make your choice now. So when the time comes, you will be ready to laugh in the face of danger."

The light faded. A forest loomed, desolate of life forms. A wide, arching entrance was billowing above them, the angel and Sirius.

"Enter." The angel said, the words echoing off everything.

Sirius put his first foot forward, then the next. He stopped.

"What lies beyond the entrance?" he inquired, looking at the seraph.

"Nothing you can't handle." She replied with a small smile. "I won't need to collect a carcass - at least not yours."

So he had to kill something. What could it be?

He closed his eyes for a moment, breathed in, and entered. A chill took him. It was cold here. Cold and dark. Sirius wrapped his arms around himself to warm up his body. He wished for more than a pair of jeans and a worn T-shirt.

Something dropped into his pocket. He reached in as he forked a right in the path. His wand. Sirius' eyes were still adjusting to the light, but something moved. He heard it. He could feel it brushing up against his leg. He gulped and continued.

"Ah, help me, please." He muttered under his breath and cursed. He moved to a large, dark clearing, where little light came in.

The thing moving around him hissed. A dark, evil hiss. It flew into the heights of the trees, away from Sirius. That was good. For now. _Everything will be fine again, one day. _

He gripped his wand tight. .

"Sirius. I know where you linger. I know your deepest thoughts." The creature could speak. "I know your every move." It chuckled slowly, harshly. "You've come to my domain, and I must kill you. You're just another hopeful wanting to put my head on a pike. So try your best, you'll need it."

"We do this the fair way. You show yourself, then we do battle."

"Fair is for losers who want to play fair. I'm no loser. I will rejoice when you're finally dead. You've been ruining my life for as long as you've been alive."

The thing came out of the tree. It appeared human, and was still shadowed by the trees. It pulled two enormously long blades.

"What are you?" Sirius asked.

"I'm not human, and I'm not a demon. And I'm definitely not a vampire. Cerdic's the name."

"What are you?" he demanded.

The answer was merely a whisper. "I'm dead."

"Are you all talk, or do you fight?" Sirius jeered.

"Oh, I fight like hell. Like hell broke out. Ready boy, ready to die?"

"No," Sirius began. "I'm ready to kill."

Cerdic chuckled.

"EXPELLIARMUS!" Sirius roared, as the dead man flew back, swords flying into the hearts of two different trees. The words he didn't know, they just, they left his mouth...

"Ah, a bastard." Cerdic muttered, as he climbed to his feet. "You're worth killing. Didya know?"

"The only one to die here tonight is you, Cerdic." he cried, taking stance for another spell. "INCENDIO!" The words again came out.

The fire leaped from the wand, and Cerdic the Dead Man stood neutral, his head bowed, his hands outstretched in front of him, fingers pointing upwards. The flame withered and died out.

"What the hell are you?" Sirius asked.

"Oh, much more than a dead man."

"You do not scare me." Sirius muttered.

"Oh, I should, boy. I'm the last damn thing you'll ever see."

"No! Accio swords!" Sirius yelled, as Cerdic's blades flew out of his hands, into Sirius'. "Thanks." Sirius said with a grin.

"Oh, I may be without weapon, but I'm not going to lose."

"Bring it on." Sirius said, the grin becoming pure determination. Cerdic rushed towards him, cloak flapping in the wind. Ten meters, nine, eight, seven, six, five. He leaped into the air, and began to twirl in a circle, and Sirius reached up with his blades and cut the man along his mid abdominal area, the other slicing diagonally across his chest.

"Damn." Cerdic muttered, the wounds began pouring out blueish black liquid. He landed behind Sirius, and faced the woods behind him. "Oh, damn!" Sirius yelled, and Sirius turned, to see the white angel in the trees, a long, plain, golden staff in her hands. She was kneeling, and she stood, outstretched her left foot, closed her eyes, serenity overcoming her. She cried out, a harsh battle-cry, and leaped out of the trees, her foot outstretched. She flew with speed, and brought the staff right in the dead centre of Cerdic's chest. He cried out, fell to his knees, then back, screaming in pain, as the blueish black liquid poured out faster than a landslide. A white light poured out, then faded.

Sirius stood amazed at the angel, standing on the dead man's chest. Now he was conquered.

"Who are you?" Sirius asked.

"My name is Serenus"

"What was that, Serenus?" Sirius inquired.

"That was Cerdic, lord of the dead. We have conquered him. It is a test, to test if you are the one we want. Sirius - if you choose to continue, there is no turning back. Will you continue?"

Sirius took a minute to think about it.

"Yes."

"Good." A white nimbus surrounded them again. When it faded, they were back with the dark angel.

"I, Sirius, am Caliga. I will take you on. Do you wish to see it? It is not something you will desire to see, but it is something that will help you on your journey. Will you come?"

"Yes."

"Good. Any questions?"

"Will - will it answer who I am?"

"Somewhat."

"I suggest we move on."

A nimbus, this time black, surrounded them. It faded, and this is what Sirius experienced.

Sirius fell through the veil, and it swayed slowly. He closed his eyes, the effect of Bellatrix's spell fading slowly. He closed his eyes. A cold wind whipped over his face. Wherever he was, it wasn't a bad place

He opened his eyes. It was cloudy, and shadows were cast over the ground. Sirius was laying under an enormous oak, full in bloom. In an exotic garden. An exotic garden with a large, tan stone wall around it. Flowers in bloom, peach trees; it was beautiful.

"Stand." came a voice behind him. A voice neither male nor female, neither deep nor high pitched, loud nor quiet, but a mixture of all. He got up and turned slowly.

A tall person stood there, wearing a black robe, gloves, and suede boots. It had a face formed by estrogen and testosterone, yet white and dry like parchment. It had shoulder length red hair that only blanched his complexion more, and deep gray eyes.

"Come to us, Sirius."

"NO!"

"Your mission cannot be saved now, the war is begun. This-"

Sirius whipped out his wand and pointed it at the person's chest.

"Don't repeat it. I damn well know what the mission is. My mission."

"Join me, Sirius."

"Who the hell are you?" Sirius rasped.

"Me? I am Ragioslav, leader of the dead.

"Harry cannot be saved now. His fate is sealed. The time is come. You cannot save him. He must fight his own battles. You cannot help him anymore."

"I will not join you!" Sirius yelled.

Ragioslav turned and bent, and started hacking, then straightened, as if it had never happened.

"Ragioslav?" Sirius asked meekly.

The man turned, his eyes blood red, his canine teeth long fangs, thick, rubbery wings sprouting from his back. Ragioslav roared.

"VAMPIRE!" Sirius yelled, as he dove into a row of raspberry bushes, and knelt. He sighted Ragioslav.

"Why have I been sent here?" Sirius yelled.

"So I can kill you!" Ragioslav roared, diving at Black.

Sirius aimed his wand at the demon, and yelled "EXPELLIARMUS!"

Ragioslav whirled ten feet back as the spell hit him. The vampire launched at Sirius, and with extreme strength, threw Black into the tan walls, a trickle of blood running down his forehead.

"Damn you!" yelled Sirius.

"You're welcome." Ragioslav said, twirling into the air, and doing a bow in mid-air.

"INCENDIO!" shouted Sirius, Ragioslav's robe catching fire. The vampire tore it off, revealing white underclothes.

Sirius launched the spell again, and Ragioslav missed it. He dove at Sirius, and picked him up. He bent to his neck, and bit into it.

Sirius felt all the blood flow out into the vampire

_Maybe,_ he thought,_ I'd still be alive. If I hadn't chose to play hero. My breath is getting shorter. If I hadn't chosen to be a stupid, freaking, hero. All a stupid thing. Hero to zero in three seconds flat. Harry - be careful! I have failed you and my mission. Don't be rash._

_I wish that could say, I love you, Amy! So I love you and good-bye._

Darkness took his view. _I love you._


	3. A Lonely Train

The dreary night was over.

Sirius woke up, and ruffled his freshly messed-up hair. He yawned, and stretched. Sirius draped his feet over the edge of the bed, and slid his feet into his thick, warm, slippers. He stood, and stretched again, then scratched his chest.

Sirius took off his pyjama's, and donned a perfectly normal grey T-shirt, and a pair of worn jeans, and a green zipper-up sweater which he left open.

He left his room, and made his way to the kitchen. Mr. Black was sitting at the table already, sipping his coffee, and reading the _Daily Prophet_, while Mrs. Black was turning bacon on the stove.

"Ah, Sirius." His mother said politely, turning and smiling at him in that wretched, evil way. "What do you want for breakfast?"

"A couple sunny side up, some bacon, and a slice of brown bread, please."

His mother cracked two more eggs, and threw some more bacon into the pan.

"So, Sirius." His father began, putting down the paper and directing his gaze to his son. "You will continue our great of being, powerful, strong Slytherins, I presume?"

"Well, Gryffindor seemed a fair choice . . . "

His mother dropped the pan she was holding, and his father glared at him

"Don't you dare say that! Those damn Gryffindor's don't know a kappa from a monkey. Slytherins, on the other hand, are wonderful, intelligent people."

"It was only a joke . . . " Sirius meekly whispered.

"We do not tolerate jokes with no humor in this house, Sirius Black. Now apologize for your absurdity."

"I'm sorry, father."

His father shot his gaze toward Mrs. Black.

"Sorry, mum." He finished in a whisper.

Now, Mr. Black was a tall, lanky man, with flat black hair, and steel gray eyes. His mother was more like Sirius, not too tall, or too long, or too abnormal. Just a pretty, mid-sized woman, with dark brown curls, and gentle blue eyes.

Mrs. Black scooped eggs, some bacon, and a piece of buttered toast onto Sirius' plate.

"By the way, you do want Slytherin, right?" Mr. Black asked.

"No, father." He said proudly.

"Why the hell not?" his father demanded, more than asked.

"Because I've not made up my mind what I want."

"Oh, you want Slytherin, my boy." His father jeered, a wide grin coming over his face. "I remember the pride of being the seventy-third Black in Slytherin. I remember it all . . . "

He closed his eyes, pure satisfaction coming over him.

Sirius finished his meal quickly, his father babbling on about Slytherin, and the great years of "Caleb the Callous Chaser," when Sirius left to go upstairs to get his stuff.

His brother was trying to jam both legs into a small pair of wrinkled jeans at once. Sirius peered in, and left giggling as his brother wriggled on the ground, complaining the carpet was irritating his rash on his back. Sirius left giggling.

He dragged his bag down the stairs, and into the car trunk, and sat in the back seat. His father came out a moment later, followed by his mother, and Regulus, who was scratching his back wildly. Mr. Black started the car and they were off.

The ride to King's Cross wasn't a long one, but to Sirius it felt like a lifetime. He watched as t the scenery changed every so often, but soon enough they had arrived.

Sirius exited the car quickly, and helped his father take his bag out of the trunk.

The walk to Platform 9 3/4 seemed even longer. Once they were though, Sirius relaxed a little. The great big train in front of him was enough to make someone excited. He sighed, and his parents looked at him.

"Remember," his father began. "You want Slytherin."

'Make us proud, son." his mother said. "Like your father said, Slytherin will make you succeed."

Sirius climbed onto the train, his mother with two pearly tears running down her cheeks, his father standing proud and tall.

Sirius looked for apartments, most were full of older kids, laughing loudly. A few down, though, a nervous looking boy with messy black hair and hazel eyes sat alone, indulged in a copy of the new copy of _Magical Mischief. _Sirius knocked on the door.

"Do you mind?" he asked.

"Not at all." the boy said.

Sirius stepped in, and threw his bag on the shelves.

"James Potter." the boy said.

"Sirius Black." Sirius responded.

"Like the star?" James asked.

"Star?" Sirius asked.

"Yeah, the dog star, in the constellation Canis Major." James said.

"Really?" Sirius asked. "I never knew."

"You shouldn't consider taking Divination then." James said.

"Oh, that's deep." Sirius said, that sarcasm coming over his voice.

"Got a cousin who's inta all that load of garbage, it's posh if you ask me." James said, throwing his magazine onto the seat beside him. The door opened, and a pale, thin boy stuck his face in.

"Any room?" he asked.

"Yeah." Sirius responded, shifting over.

"Remus Lupin." the boy said, throwing his bag onto the shelves, and he seated himself beside James.

"James Potter." he said, putting his hand out for a handshake.

"Sirius Black, marauder extraordinary, I'll curse 'em , you'll hearse 'em."

Remus laughed.

The train started to move.

The door opened once more, this time revealing a short, pudgy boy, carrying a plump rat.

"Excuse me, is it full in here?" he asked meekly.

"Yeah, come on in." James said."James Potter, ready to escort you to the hospital of your choice."

"Remus Lupin." the pale boy put in.

"Sirius Black." he added.

"I'm Peter Pettigrew."

"Well, Peter you are the one hundredth person to enter this train, so you've won -"

"Anything off the trolley, dears?" Asked a plump woman standing outside the door with a trolley full of sweets.

James bought twelve Chocolate Frogs, and three Pumpkin Pastries, Remus said he wasn't hungry, Peter bought seven bags of Bertie Bott's Bean, and Sirius purchased fourteen Chocolate Frogs.

"Ptolemy again." James said."I've got seven of him already."

"Trade you for Merlin." Sirius said.

"Sure, don't have him..." James said. "Do you have Cliodna?"

"Yeah, right here." Sirius responded, digging out a large plastic box stuffed with little cards, each sorted into letter of their name. "C, Circe, Cliodna right here. What do I get?"

"Morgana?"

"Na, I got enough of her."

"Hengist of Woodcroft?"

"Don't have him."

Peter and Remus sat and watched them, late into the day, until they reached the school.

"'lright, I'll be takin' you firs' years over the lake, now." cried an enormous man, as soon as they left the train. "My name's Ruebeus 'agrid, groun'keeper 'ere at 'ogwarts."

The first years climbed into a fleet of unsteady boats, and they were off.

Peter, Sirius, Remus and James shared a boat, each giggling to each other in their nervousness.

When they reached the castle, the huge doors were thrown open, and the first years entered, greeted by a young woman with black hair pulled into a bun, standing in a hall bigger than Grimmauld Place. Sirius listened attentively as she spoke.

"Welcome to Hogwarts. You will enter these doors," her hand beckoned towards a set of doors. "You will be sorted into houses. The houses are Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw."

She stuck her head into the set of doors.

"Come." she said.

The first years entered the hall, and Sirius' jaw dropped to the ground. Four enormous tables, a ceiling that reflected the night sky... the stories his father had told him did not do Hogwarts justice. It was beautiful.

A hat sat on a small stool up at the front of the hall. As the first years stopped in front of it, it began to sing:

"_Another year begins here, _

_At this ancient school. _

_Yet if those who enter now,_

_Do not do justice to my maker,_

_A life may be taken anew,_

_And their blood be laid against the walls,_

_In memory of that mistake. _

_Blood shall be taken here, _

_And the new additions will be taught to alter it,_

_But mistakes take us all. _

_For darkness lingers in front of me, _

_In the form of a child. _

_If you do not bond together,_

_The school shall crumble out from beneath you."_

Remus shivered during the song. He was paler than normal.

"What's wrong?" James asked.

"Nothing." he snapped quickly.

"Aarons, Jacob!" the woman with the black hair called out. A little boy with blonde hair climbed up. The hat opened it's mouth. "RAVENCLAW!"the one table clapped.

"Adams, Mikayla!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Sirius Black!"

Sirius gulped and stepped up to the hat. He put it on his head, and though, _Not Slytherin._

_Really? _Came a voice in his head.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Sirius sighed, and passed the hat to Allan Cooper. He went and sat at the second table from the left, the one that everyone was clapping at. The list went on, Remus was a Gryffindor too, and so was Peter and James.

This was going to be an interesting year.


	4. The Year Has Begun, Forces Are At Motion

"Welcome," said Head Master Dippet, "to another year at Hogwarts. We have teachers ready to teach, and students hopefully ready to learn.

"As I say every year, the Forbidden Forest is forbidden, hence it's name, and Mr. Filch would like me to remind you that Fanged yo-yo's, Cackling Cakes, Hag's Hashbrowns and other various instruments of destruction are completely unallowed. If you have a thing similar to these, you must receive permission from a teacher, myself, or Mr. Filch.

"Third years and up with signed permission slips are the only students leaving Hogwarts on the various days to visit the village of Hogsmeade.

"Now I shall stop blabbering while our tummies are rumbling, so - feast!"

Dippet spread his arms wide, and the feast appeared before their eyes. Chicken, potatoes, corn on the cob, peas, gravy, warm, fresh bread, soup, salad, and little glass trays of mints.

"Dig in!" James shouted.

James sat in the middle of the Gryffindor table, beside Sirius, who was sitting beside Allan Cooper, the other Gryffindor first year, and Remus and Peter sat on the other side of the table.

"So welcome to the 'Big G', boys." Remus said.

"Glad to be a 'Big G', Remmy." Sirius said.

"Better than Slytherin!" Allan said, turning his shaggy head to glare at the Slytherins.

"Yeah, green isn't my colour, anyways." James said, after donning his Gryffindor robes in a bathroom, along with his new friends. He too turned his head to look at the table next to theirs. A boy caught his gaze - a first year. He was sitting alone, with long hair, greasy to the point of where James thought he had never heard of shampoo before. His nose was long and oblong, like it had been jammed in a door every other day. His complexion was pallid, and sent a shiver up and down James' spine. He spinned his fork around in his potatoes, and licked the creamy vegetable off the fork.

"Look at that bloke." James said, trying to laugh.

Peter laughed quietly, and Sirius said something under his breath, and Allan just say there in pity for the boy.

"Who is that?" Remus asked.

"I don't know." James said.

He turned back to his plate.

When the feast was finished, James stood up, stretched, and scratched his chest, yawning. Sirius followed him, and Allan. Peter was finishing his apple pie, and Remus rubbed his eyes tiredly.

"First years come with me! I am Gryffindor Prefect Michael Chase." James turned his head to see this boy. He was tall, and well-built, muscular. He was handsome, with his brown curls, and baby blue eyes. "Follow me!" he shouted.

The five boys followed him, to a portrait of a fat woman in a pink dress.

"Password?" she asked, making some of the first years jump. Sirius didn't.

"Pumpkin strudel!" Michael said, as the portrait swung open, a door in the wall. Michael let the new students enter first, then followed them.

Inside of the Gryffindor common room, a fireplace warmed the room to a comfortable temperature, with a few couches around it. There were a few scattered tables with chairs, and a few paintings on the wall, but other than that, the room was bare.

"Welcome," Michael began, stretching his arms and sweeping them around him, "to the Gryffindor common room. This is where you will do homework, study, and socialize. There are the stairs, where the dormitories are held. Boys on the left, girls on the right. Your things are already stationed there."

"Yeah!" James yelled, and he and the other four plopped themselves down on the couches by the fireplace. "Welcome to the first year of fun! Living from laugh to laugh, attacking the girls with stink pellets."

"Yeah!" Allan called. A small group of the five first year Gryffindor girls sat in the corner, at the table. Marcia Elmwood, she was short and slightly plump, with a round face, dark brown eyes, and shoulder length chestnut hair. Then there was Amy Ellis, a pretty girl with long blonde hair, James knew her as a sort of air-head. Then there was Brigette Darcy, a weight-obsessed girl with short blonde girl with blue eyes, and a worried look to her face. Painting her toenails was an ugly girl, Tara MacIntyre, neither plump nor skinny, short, and freckled, annoying, and with a ponytail with dirty blonde hair. Then there was what caught James' heart in a swirly wave of emotions. Lily Evans. Beautiful. Siren. Angel. Seraph from a distant world where beauty is a mere nothing.

"Lord, look at her. Lily." James said, turning to his friends.

"Nah, Amy, she is a piece of art."

"Amy is nothing compared to this angel."

"James, you're not going soft already? Don't be naff, now." Allan said.

Marcia got up from the table, and with a large grin over her face, she ran up to Allan, and smacked him in the back of the head.

"Fag! Queer!" She yelled. "Homo!" She stammered through the giggles.

"Hey!" Lily shouted, jumping to her feet.

James leapt up as well, followed immediately by Sirius.

"Allan's no queer. Got it?" Sirius shouted at her, rage filling every possible area it could.

"You pick on him we'll pick on you ten fold what you did. Savvy?" James said with testiness.

"I was joking with the poor kid, come on get a life."

"Oh, so if he's different you've got to mock him?

"Hhhhmp!" she muttered, and she left.

Sirius and James seated themselves.

"Allan, you're not - are you?" James asked carefully.

"No, no I'm not." Allan answered.

"Good." Sirius said, gulping. "Looks like we've got a bully on our hands.

"Don't you dare bully the damn kid! He's not a fag!" James heard Lily say to Marcia. Even with the distortion of rage, her voice was the sweetest sound James had ever heard.


	5. Start With A Bang

When Sirius awoke, Peter was gone already, James was pulling his shirt over his head, Remus was sleeping still, and Allan was tying his shoe. He arose from his bed, and dressed quickly. James and Allan waited for him in the common room, and they headed for the Great Hall.

The hall was full of bacon, eggs, fried tomatoes, toast, marmalade, jams, and pots of tea.

The three boys joining Peter at the Gryffindor, where their pudgy friend was reading _The Daily Prophet, _and set it aside when they sat down.

Sirius took some tea first, followed by some eggs and bacon with toast with strawberry jam.

"Ah, boys!" said the black-haired woman with her hair in a bun. "I am

Professor McGonagall, Gryffindor's Head. Here are your timetables."

She laid four pieces of paper on the table in front of them. Sirius took one, and read it aloud.

"Monday, Breakfast, Double Potions with Professor E. Ville, in the dungeons, nine-eleven, then Transfiguration with Professor A. Dumbledore, from eleven to noon, then lunch, from noon to one, then Charms with Professor F. Flitwick, from one to two, History of Magic with Professor Binns from two to three, then Defense Against the Dark Arts with Professor L. Flogging - what on earth? Flogging?"

"That's what it says." Allan said.

"Flogging, though, come on, Flogging . . . " James said with a giggle.

Remus joined them a little later, looking like he had just climbed out of bed.

"Here . . . our timetable . . . " Peter said, handing Remus his.

"Potions, Transfig, lunch, Charms, History of Magic, and Defense Against the Dark Arts . . . sounds peachy."

The meal was finished slowly, and then the boys headed for Potions. They left the hall, passed the large stairway, and through the door, to Dungeon One.

A tall, shallow skinned man stood in the doorway. His eyes were wild and dangerous, black as night. His teeth were yellow and disgustingly rancid. His hair was long, sleek, and just as dark as his eyes. He grew a small beard.

"Prof-professor Ville?" Sirius shuddered.

"I am Professor Ville, for your putrid information." His voice was low and cold, like a snake bite on the coldest day of the winter. "And who are you, you sniveling Gryffindors?"

"I'm James Potter."

Peter seemed to have wet his pants.

"Peter Pettigrew."

"Remus Lupin."

"Allan Cooper"

"Sirius Black."

"Black, you say?" Ville began to say. "As in Caleb Black?"

"He's my dad. Got a problem with it?" Sirius snapped.

"I will expect great things from you. Take your seats."

The rest of the Gryffindors filed in, with the Slytherins. There was that boy - Severus Snape.

"Now, tell me," said Ville when everyone was in. "What exactly is a bezoar? None?"

Severus stuck his scrawny arm in the arm, his sleeve falling back, pallid skin bared.

"No one?" Ville asked.

"Professor," Severus said, speaking out of turn. "It is a stone taken from the stomach of a goat that will act as a remedy -"

"Severus!" Ville shouted. "I did not ask for your opinion! You will learn to speak when spoke to in my class!"

"I was just answering the damn question!" Severus snapped back.

"I didn't ask you! You will serve a detention with Mr. Filch tonight! Do you understand?" Ville was all out screaming by this time.

"Ouch." Sirius said, leaning over to James. They giggled quietly.

"Do I detect a hint of laughter? I expected great things from you, Mr. Black, but first impressions are the ones that last. Talking in class is not a wise choice to make in my classroom."

"I wasn't laughing," Sirius said "I was making a noise in my throat that may have sounded like a giggle or two - "

"Thirty points from Gryffindor, for your intolerance of answering a simple question."

"This is going to be a shitty year." Sirius whispered to Remus, who smiled faintly.

"Ah, another thirty for again speaking, and another five for language, Black. You have really started this year with a bang." Ville said, an evil sneer coming over his face, as he seated himself at his desk. "And a large bang at that."

Next they had Transfiguration, where they located themselves in a large classroom with desk in neat, uniform rows. An old, wizened man stood at the front, leaning on a large desk with clawed feet. His nose was oblong and bent, and his beard nearly sank to his belt.

"I am Professor Albus Dumbledore." he begun when everyone was seated. "I too know the nervousness and excitement all jumbled together in your stomach until it fills like florescent green goo will burst out of your ears and nearly every other pore in your body. That was a long time ago . . . back in 1851. Ahh, that really ages me. I was in the Gryffindor house, as some of you are. I enjoy ten pin bowling, and chamber music. Enough about me, lets start our lesson. Today we will be introduced to basic Transfiguration, so everyone whip out your little wands and lets begin!"

Every student was handed a quill and was asked to turn in into a stick. Sirius was having trouble, though his quill was starting to brown, James' was flopping around like a gutted fish. Peter's was motionless, though Remus had no trouble with the transformation. Allan got frustrated with his and snapped it in half.

"Ah, what a wonderful oblivion," Professor Dumbledore said. "Sitting and watching young witches and wizards learn the exhilarating joy of Transfiguration. Ah, I see a few of you have been able to tranform a quill into a stick! Kudos to you, and class dismissed!"

Lunch was next, then charms. It was taught by a short little man with a squeaky voice, Professor Filius Flitwick. The class was located on the third floor. It was cluttered by thousands of thick books, and the desks were littered with these. The class settled in.

"Today," said the wizened Flitwick. "We will start learning simple wrist movements for basic charms!"

"I wish I could have as much enthusiasm as _some _people." Remus whispered, leaning over to James.

"I wish I had enthusiasm period." James replied.

Classes were over for the day. History of Magic was taught by Professor Binns, a old man who had literally no energy at all. When they had walked into the room, he was snoring loudly and proclaiming that the Troll Act of 1312 was absolute rubbish.

"Like Professor Ville said," James began. "We started our seven years with a bloody big bang."


End file.
